The Demon Slayer Martial Saint Begins with Insect Refining

Chapter 8 Bandits in the Mountains

Back in Yunqian Village, Su Yan came out of the mountains after practicing archery, carrying a one-meter-long musk deer on his back and two gray rabbits slung around his waist.

He strode into the village, carrying a hardwood bow.

The villagers saw him from a distance and greeted him from the front.

"Brother Yan is really capable, he has caught prey again."

"Oh, a musk deer can cost one or two hundred coins, which is not much worse than a hunter."

"It's all luck."

Hu Kou responded a few times, but didn't talk much.

Apart from the men who work in the mountains, the remaining children or women mostly grow one or two acres of thin land around this village.

Of course, there are also men who have a day or two off from the mountains and work in the fields.

They had all heard the rumors, but they didn't expect that Su Yan, an orphan, could actually stand on his own feet. Needless to say, they were envious.

Seeing Su Yan striding away, he couldn't help but whisper a few words.

"This kid is handsome and capable, I think he's going to find a wife."

"It's none of our business to get a wife. When Su Dahe left, not many people offered him a wife."

"Don't we have Xie Yuzhu? Let him be the matchmaker..."

The random chatter gradually faded into the fields. I didn't know how many people listened to it and how many ignored it.

Given the situation in the mountains, some people in Yunqian Village were already conscientious enough not to starve their families to death. Not to mention offering a helping hand, they were lucky enough that their own families could survive.

Su Yan arrived in front of the house, about a hundred meters away, and saw Xie Yuzhu from afar, with a frown on his face and a complicated expression, wandering around.

When Xie Yuzhu looked up and saw Su Yan in the distance, his face turned anxious, but he quickly turned around and wanted to leave quickly.

"Second Uncle"

Su Yan took the initiative to call out to Xie Yuzhu, but this call made it difficult for Xie Yuzhu to pretend not to see Su Yan.

He stopped awkwardly and turned around, but the huge man looked embarrassed.

"Hey, it's A Yan, you just came back from the mountains, I just passed by"

Xie Yuzhu's words were incoherent. Su Yan frowned slightly and asked with concern, "Second Uncle, is there something wrong at home?"

"No"

Xie Yuzhu rejected it immediately, but looking at Su Yan's expression, he was like a broken jar, and uttered something.

"I'm here to embarrass myself. Guo Peng and his men saw that you were making progress in the mountaineering business and wanted to ask you to be the head of the mountaineering business. I refused to come, but after all, they also..."

He was obviously a rough old man, but his face was flushed red and he couldn't speak clearly.

"You'll be the leader and take 70% of the profits. With more people, we can carry more things from the mountains. That's what they agreed to."

After finally finishing his words, Xie Yuzhu seemed to not want to stay any longer and became even more uneasy.

Instead, Su Yan laughed, and all his worries disappeared.

As long as nothing happens to Uncle Xie’s family, it’s fine.

He thought for a moment and said, "Second Uncle, I may not be able to agree to this."

"fine"

Before he could finish his words, Xie Yuzhu seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden and quickly agreed. The redness in his face faded a little, as if he had suddenly regained his breath.

If he wasn't a half-leader in the mountain-herding team, he would never show up no matter what.

Of course, one of the reasons was that Su Yan joined the team a few months ago and got a share. Although everyone was unhappy, they did not drive him away because they had a sense of kinship.

"Second Uncle, please listen to me first."

Su Yan interrupted Xie Yuzhu and explained, "I'm hunting and hiking in the mountains at the same time. My itinerary is different from yours, so it's inconvenient for you to travel with me. However, I've come across a few mushroom and Ganoderma lucidum nests while hiking in the mountains these days, but I haven't touched them yet. I'd like to ask you, Uncle, to take some of them with you."

Xie Yuzhu's eyes widened, and he immediately realized what was happening. He shook his head repeatedly: "No, there's no way we're going to give up our nest when we're driving up the mountain. This..."

"If you don't go, it will grow too big in a while and be destroyed by animals."

Su Yan left his words here, but Xie Yuzhu hesitated.

"Ayan, it really doesn't affect you?"

He looked at Su Yan's expression, as if trying to find a hint of reluctance. If he saw it, he would definitely not agree.

"Don't worry, Uncle, it won't affect anything. I still have hunting skills."

Su Yan shook the gray rabbit he had hunted at his waist and said, "Thanks to everyone's care over the past few months, this is what I should do."

"I know, I will explain it to them."

Xie Yuzhu nodded heavily, carefully wrote down the locations Su Yan told him, and then turned and left.

Seeing Xie Yuzhu walking away, Su Yan's eyes flickered and he sighed slightly: "A man is innocent but guilty of possessing a treasure. Even this nest should not be given to Second Uncle too much, otherwise it will cause trouble. If my strength increases a little, I can help Second Uncle find a way to make a living."

The other mountain herders helped Su Yan, even if they had some complaints, but they did help, and he had to be grateful for this favor.

And Xie Yuzhu really helped me, and I should repay such kindness.

After saying goodbye to Xie Yuzhu, Su Yan went into his home, skinned the musk deer and the gray rabbit, cut them into pieces, and then took a rest.

[First-level Insect Master: 5/100]

[Insect World: 1 cubic meters]

【Mountain Driving: 37/200 (Small Success)】

[Basic Archery 104/200 (Minor Success)]

[Medicine Identification 21/200 (Minor Success)] [Yinshui Centipede 63/200 (Growth Stage)]

"After practicing archery for a few days, my strength has increased a lot. I also have a rough idea of the Yinshui Centipede's abilities after it reaches its advanced stage. I didn't expect this shell to be able to withstand ordinary attacks, like cowhide."

In addition to avoiding the limelight of Ganshan these days, Su Yan also wanted to test his own background.

After the Yinshui Centipede's growth period, it has obviously changed a lot, as if it has entered a new realm.

It is good at using poison, but its shell is as tough as cowhide.

Combining the two, even an experienced hunter would be fooled.

After all, it has such a small body, a shell that can withstand ordinary attacks, and is highly poisonous.

The three complement each other, so their power is naturally greater.

"If you learn martial arts, you can probably find out a thing or two."

Those who truly practiced martial arts would definitely understand the changes of the Yinshui Centipede, and Song Qi would definitely know it, but he couldn't bring up the matter himself and expose himself.

"Including the money I made from selling the viper berries and Polygonum multiflorum a few days ago, I now have a total of 37 taels and 4 qian of silver, which is almost enough, but I still have to set aside a few taels for taxes."

Calculating his money, Su Yan made a plan in his mind. He prepared to go deeper into the mountains to save up enough money.

Early the next morning, before the sun rose, Su Yan picked up his backpack and headed towards Yunling Mountain in the thin mist and dew.

There are many mountain herders who go out here, but not many of them go in the same direction as Su Yan.

It’s not that no one wants to follow Su Yan’s direction into the mountains.

However, this direction is inhabited by many wild animals and poisonous insects, and there are even no mountain paths.

Su Yan could get in, but they might not dare to take the risk. If he got injured and couldn't pay the taxes, he would be thrown into jail.

Not to mention that Su Yan has this hardwood bow in his hand. If you anger him, it will be difficult to deal with.

However, there are exceptions to everything. For people with bad intentions, the more secluded the place is, the better it is.

"Hurry up, that little creature has gone into the mountains with a backpack on his back. It doesn't look like he's going hunting. Follow closely."

Wang San, Li Hu, Huang Tian and Zhao Fu followed quietly and hid far behind.

Li Hu took the lead, holding a hardwood bow in his hand and a sharp knife on his waist, the tip of the knife was sharpened to a shine.

Wang San also held a knife in his hand. Although it was not as sharp as Li Hu's, it was also a sharp knife.

Huang Tian and Zhao Fu both looked to be in their early thirties, wearing coarse linen short jackets, holding two forks in their hands, with sparkling eyes.

After waiting for several days, they finally saw Su Yan carrying a backpack. Calculating the time, they knew he was definitely not going hunting, so they hurried to follow him.

They walked quickly in the mist for about one or two miles, and saw Su Yan's body entering the foot of the mountain covered with weeds and shrubs from afar.

Wang San, Li Hu and others followed quickly and were unknowingly wet by the dew on the grass leaves, which was so cold that it made them shiver.

"This kid is like a mountain rat, always hiding in these places. No wonder others can't find Baozhi, but he can."

Li Hu cursed. The weeds were unkempt and some of them would even scratch the skin, making people extremely uncomfortable.

But Su Yan was extremely agile on his feet and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye after entering the mountain.

If I don't catch up quickly, I'm afraid I'll lose him.

"Hurry up! That kid must be going to the treasure den."

Li Hu urged Wang San and the others, then quickly followed the traces left by Su Yan.

Wang San and Huang Tian groaned in their hearts. Li Hu was a hunter and his physical condition was there.

But they are all idle scoundrels. Isn’t it a torture to walk on this mountain road?

After hurrying for another mile or two, they arrived in the mountains.

There were not only bushes and weeds on both sides, but also tall trees with intertwined branches and lush leaves covering the sky, giving off a chilly and gloomy feeling.

"Where are the traces?!"

Li Hu suddenly exclaimed, his face suddenly darkening.

"What's wrong?"

Wang San came forward and glanced over, his expression also not looking good.

The shrubs are dense and the weeds are tall, with no signs of falling down or being cut down.

It was as if no one had walked past this side.

But what about Su Yanren?
The four people in the group all had gloomy faces at this time. Li Hu snorted coldly, saying that if they lost track of them, the loss would be huge.

"The kid may have realized that something was wrong and hid himself."

Li Hu was a hunter after all, so he quickly calmed down.

No matter how careful the mountain hunters were, they would not cover their tracks like this. It seemed like they were hiding.

"What should we do? If he becomes alert and doesn't go for ten days or half a month, we won't be able to wait."

Zhao Fu, holding an iron fork, had a fierce look in his eyes. He was most familiar with Li Hu and was quite meticulous, thinking of the consequences of alerting the enemy.

"Zhao Fu, you and Wang San are on the same team. Huang Tian, you and I are on the same team. Search for clues around here. That guy can't hide far away. Catch him and interrogate him directly."

Li Hu made a prompt decision and the four of them split up into teams. They gripped their weapons tighter and began searching for Su Yan's traces in the surrounding weeds.

However, Su Yan saw all of this from behind an old tree just over ten meters away.

"I was wondering who it was, it turned out to be Wang San."

Su Yan sneered, the Yinshui centipede beside him hissed, and half of its body had already penetrated into the bushes.

(End of this chapter)